Mayor of Baltimore City

Catherine E. Pugh

Catherine Elizabeth Pugh was sworn in as the 50th Mayor of the City of Baltimore on December 6, 2016.

Mayor Pugh has been a public servant for more than 15 years. She served as a member of the Baltimore City Council, representing the 4th district (1999-2003). During her tenure as Council Member, Mayor Pugh served as: Chair of the Taxation Subcommittee on Economic Development, Vice-Chair of the Land Use & Planning Committee and member of the Urban Affairs Committee. In 2005 she was appointed to the Maryland General Assembly, House of Delegates, where she served for one year before running for her Senate seat in 2006. Her abilities to negotiate and her bipartisan approach catapulted her into various leadership positions in the Maryland Senate. She served as the Majority Leader, was Named Legislator of the Year (2010) by the City Paper, and passed over 150 pieces of legislation.

Mayor Pugh is the visionary, co-founder and Chair of the Baltimore Design School, a public school for sixth through twelfth graders, and a founder of the Baltimore Marathon, which is in its fifteenth year and has over a $30 million impact on the city. She also created the Fish out of Water Project, which has raised one million dollars to wire city schools and provided music instruments for children. Mayor Pugh has served on several boards, including the University of Maryland Medical Systems and the Council of State Governments.

Additionally, Mayor Pugh is a successful businesswoman, serving as President of CEPugh and Company, a marketing and public relations firm. She has worked as a banker, business developer, Dean and Director of Strayer Business College, Special Editor for the Baltimore Sun, and as a television and radio news reporter and talk show host. She is the author of Mind Garden: Where Thoughts Grow and Healthy Holly, a series of children’s books advocating exercise and healthy eating.

Mayor Pugh holds an MBA from Morgan State University and has received qualification from the University of California as an Economic Development Specialist. She has been recognized for her leadership and commitment to diversity and inclusion by numerous organization both local and nationally to include: The United State Small Business Advocate of the Year, The National Association of Securities Professionals Joyce Johnson Award, The NAACP Legislator of the Year, The Mental Health Associations Legislator of the Year, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s Living Legacy Award, to name a few.

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The BPD is the 8th largest municipal police force in the United States, staffed by nearly 3,100 civilian and sworn personnel.The Department's jurisdiction covers Maryland's largest city, with a population of 614,000.